A novice philosopher turned equestrian…

What Are You?

So what animal are you? For the pedantic among you, yes I am fully aware that human beings are animals. That’s kind of the point? But you’re another animal too. Think about it. Which one?

This stems from a conversation I had the other night with Sonny who declared himselfto be a hawk this year. He changes every year it would seem, and this year is a bird of prey. I didn’t ask why…it seemed rude, but he then asked what I was. And I honestly don’t know. I genuinely struggled to think of any animal I could be.

I guess that’s partly because I’m still working out who I actually am these days. I made quite a dramatic upheaval within myself when I switched to Equine and I’m still fine tuning things. So it’s harder for me to be very definite about what I am. I could try and narrow it down maybe?
Am I a tiger, beautiful, proud and fierce? No. I am not.

Am I an elephant, gentle, strong and resilient? No, I am not.

Am I a fox, crafty, bold and opportunistic? No. I’m not.

A snake? A flamingo? An otter? A bear? A bumblebee? A kingfisher?

No, I do not think that that I am any of those. Which doesn’t exactly help me with working out I am. Ah well. Maybe one of these days I’ll figure it out.

I started back on the yard today, 8am and there I was, ready for the day. By 8.20am I was covered in mud from head to toe. Got to love January…
We led the boys back from the top field which was oh so much fun before attacking them with hosepipes to remove the thick, caked on crust of mud that covered their legs.

Disgusting!

I think the fact that I have spent two weeks sitting around on my butt doing not a lot and eating lots of food is part of the reason I am so wiped out after today. I have probably lost a bit of fitness and strength. Not much, I’m sure, and I have no doubt I’ll recover it all before too long. But I do have that feeling of not being quite at my best. I should probably have gone to bed earlier last night too but instead I sat on Skype to Jeremy for two hours planning road trips and adventures etc. Totally worth it, I should add.

I’m glad to be back on the yard though. I’ve been out of pony contact for so long that when I saw their beautiful faces today I nearly squeaked with joy. I hugged them, a lot. Fox in particular, of course. Love him.

My hands feel raw and worn, my throat is full of hay, my jodhpurs are brown instead of blue and my feet ache from being on them practically allday. I just pulled a piece of straw out of my sleeve, the dirt under my nails will not budge and my hair will not stop being windswept. I am totally shattered, but it was a good day. I didn’t ride, but seeing as I’ll be getting paid, I can cope with that.

Also, weirdly, it felt good to be putting my jods back on this morning. They seriously are the most comfortable things ever. If it was socially acceptable to wear them everywhere…I think I probably would. Oh and my Ariats definitely work. They are certainly waterproof, and warm. Yay for no numb toes.

It only remains for me to tell you that on my way into the yard this morning I came across a flooded patch of road. I could see that a car had just gone through it but I didn’t know how deep it was. So I waited. Before long a bus came the other way and went through. I saw that the water didn’t even get halfway up the wheels, so I realised it was safe to drive through. And even though I knew it was okay and that it wasn’t going to happen again, once I’d committed myself to driving through my heart started beating faster, there was suddenly not quite enough air to breathe and my head closed up, all tight and coiled. On the other side, I realised I was still holding my breath and I was shaking all over and felt close to tears.

How silly!Enjoy whatever you have left of your day, wherever you are. And when you know what animal you are, tell me.